[Tombot]

@ Cpl. Kalkwarf : if you would live around the block – i would invite you right now! Could use more players with an open mind about Non-Magic-Stuff-Games!

@weswood

-“... I think that video gaming has influenced RPGs and more video games than not have fantastic elements to them. Plus the fact such RPG games are less challenging, dying is just a temporary setback..”

You are surely right about that. Dying is no option for most gamers.
I always felt more of a “sensation” if the PC´s survived in a system which CAN (not usually will) kill or seriously harm them.
Where recovery is a matter of days and weeks.
The players of my T2k-group are pretty careful about when to shoot or to risk getting shot at.
They make the best out of lots of tense social situations between PC´s & NPC´s, survival & medical tasks, etc. BUT IF theres combat, everybody is on his toes.

- “In my formative gaming days, trolls were evil creatures that prefered human flesh to eat, vampires were cursed blood drinking dead things (NOT sexy at all)...”

You said it. Vampires should be Horror-creatures like Nosferatu.
Playing a supernatural creature can be fun, too. But not as a standart.
It should be something special.

-“ I do have to admit that I like characters having disadvantages and advantages such as addictions or better than average eyesight.”

Ad´s & Disads´are always interesting. But thats not a question of “historical” OR “fantastic”.
Look at Sylvester Stallones characters in “Copland”.
Less intelligent, with a hearing-loss on one ear, but a strong code-of-honor. Cool...



@ copeab:
“I think a lot of players are used to falling back on "healing magic”...

Yup, thats it. They hate the risk of dying, which is off course understandable.
But its a whole different mindset, when you survived - say f.e. five – deadly shoot-outs
in “Outlaw” (Rolemasters old West RPG-supplement), compared to an average battle in a over-the-top-superheroes-game.
Like in the examples of Weswood & Targan; “the scars marked the character for life.”
Every pontentially dangerous encounter (even with “normal” animals) is REALLY something to remember...
Thats what i always enjoyed the most, as player and a GM!
(“I lost that thumb on Grand Forks in the august of 1877. That damn grizzly got me good... Here – thats his claws...”)

@Graebarde: I will check out "Dies the Fire"! Looks like a good read (i checked the Wikipedia-entry about the books).
Are you playing that with T2k-rules, or is there a "Dies the Fire"-RPG ?
(I just found this: "emberverse.proboards.com/index.cgi")